But that hasn't happened. These people did not lose land from "extreme meteorological events". They simply exhausted the stored fertility in the soil, and it is cheaper to burn another chunk of forest than it is to purchase fertilizer. A hypothetical scenario that could happen in the future does not explain the actual scenario that the article we're discussing is about.
- CO2, as a greenhouse gas, increase the Earth surface temperature
- This temperature increase causes droughts/floods/other extreme meteorological events
- Lands that used to be arable aren't anymore, because of these events.
- People need to feed themselves, so they need new lands.
- They burn forests, wipe out ecosystems, and kill millions of animals in the process.